BlackBerry Blend Gives Access to Phone Content, Messages on PCs and Tablets

The company alongside launching the unconventional new smartphone, also announced BlackBerry Blend - a service that allows users to access information from their BlackBerry smartphone on Android or iPad tablets, or on Windows or OS X based laptops and desktops. Users can receive IM notifications; read and respond to work and personal email; exchange BBM or text messages, and access documents, calendar, contacts and media from the smartphone.

Notably, BlackBerry Blend appeared on BlackBerry World ahead of the company's Wednesday launch event. The company details the new BlackBerry Blend services as, "Forgot your BlackBerry smartphone at home? You can still get your BBM messages, emails and text messages from your BlackBerry on your computer or tablet through BlackBerry Blend, even when you don't have your phone with you."

Of course, users can utilise Blend even when their smartphones are nearby, allowing them to continue working on a single larger device whilst still accessing and keeping a track on all content from their smartphone.

As of now, the BlackBerry Blend is compatible only with the BlackBerry Passport and the Porsche Design P'9983, though the company says it intends to expand availability. The service will come pre-installed on the new BlackBerry Passport phone out-of-the-box, a smartphone that runs the latest BlackBerry 10.3 OS.

For corporate users, BlackBerry notes, "If your BlackBerry smartphone is connected to a BlackBerry Enterprise Server, you can access your company's intranet through a work browser on your computer without having to be logged in to your company's network. This gives you access to important work information when you need it, anytime, anywhere."

Blend is available for PC (Windows 7 or higher) or Mac (Mac OS X 10.7 or higher) from the company's site, while the apps for Android (Android 4.4 or higher) and iOS (iOS 7.0 or higher) are available from the App Store and Google Play, respectively.